N Korea is actually aiming at Hawaii and was on target with the first launch but the second stage booster failed to ignite !
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Aloha: North Korea Announces Detailed Missile Flight Plan
In a transparent ploy to legitimize their upcoming "space launch," the North Koreans submitted plans of their ballistic missile launch to UN aviation and maritime agencies yesterday. More details emerge today as the UN's International Civil Aviation Organization releases its warning to aviators:

In a letter to ICAO earlier this week, the North said the launch would take place between April 4-8 and between 11:00 a.m. and 4.p.m. (KST), it added.

Of the two potential danger areas identified, one is in waters close to Japan's northeastern area and the other is in the East Sea, according to a map released by ICAO. The map appears to show that if successful, a multi-stage rocket would fly over Japan after shedding its first booster in the East Sea.

Digging further, I found the ICAO news release (PDF) which includes the coordinates of the two danger areas where the North Korean missile will drop its booster stages and created this map:

Connecting the dots between the launch site (orange triangle) and the two danger zones where the two stages will splash (red triangles), we can see where the missle could head --- again, according to the North Koreans themselves:

They indeed plan to overfly Japan, shedding the first booster in the Sea of Japan.

Depending on the range of the missile, the trajectory is making a bee-line for Hawaii.

All of this is to a greater or lesser extent a function of the internal power struggle going on behind the scenes. They named a successor to Kim? Who? I've yet to see that one. Link please ^_^

His son, Kim Jung Un

http://www.wtop.com/?nid=105&sid=1660757

megimoo

06-04-2009, 12:12 PM

"No-dong-B flight test out of Iran may have proven the common Iranian, North Korean ICBM “re-entry vehicle” ...........................

Pending Container Ship Threat?

It has also been revealed that intelligence sources think North Korea may have helped Iran to successfully demonstrate a proof principle test flight of a Scud-B from an Iran container cargo ship container. This is possibly relating to the eventual deployment of a ship container based Scud-B or more probable ship container based No-dong-B IRBM. Exactly where and when this Scud-B flight test was demonstrated remains unclear. (31) and http://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/world/dprk/nd-b.htm

Trends Suggested At Variance Intelligence Assessment

Preliminary indications are assuming that if the last two flight test were the No-dong-B from North Korea suggested by South Korea and the previous No-dong-B flight test out of Iran may have proven the common Iranian, North Korean ICBM “re-entry vehicle” and “warhead fusing mechanisms” viability with three apparently successful flight tests in a row. The ongoing analytical efforts of the joint countries intelligence communities meetings have now produced an apparent deadlock on this issue delaying this final joint report because of revisions excepted and differences. This is due to difference pending further analysis between the Japanese, South Korean and US review of the missile types and flight trajectories flown as of the week of July 24, 2006 . Newly re-reviewed evidence appears to suggest that the last two missiles flight tested July 5, 2006 thought to initially be Scud-ER variants now appear to be potentially the second and third flight test of the Shahab-4/No-dong-B/Mirim 3,000-4,000 kilometers range IRBM. (23)

However Japan has now revised its thinking on this as of July 29-30, 2006 saying that the last two flights were No-dong-A’s not Scud-ER’s. Today on August 16, 2006 Japan now believes differently from the US that the first launch was a Scud-ER new type. All the data released so far indicates real problems on the part of all three communities even when combining all the all source data available in analyzing the flights flown and identifying the vehicles flown. Whether the all source information was shared with South Korea is today highly questionable as explained below.